The candidates competing to be Chicago’s next mayor have a lot in common when in comes to transportation policy.

Most are skeptical of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s plan for an underground express train from downtown to O’Hare International Airport. And most favor the $8.7 billion planned airport expansion, as well as the proposed Red Line extension from 95th to 130th Street.

But they have varying ideas on how projects should be funded and implemented, and what should be priorities. The following are responses from the most prominent declared candidates on some big transportation issues.

The O’Hare Express

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Musk in June announced plans for an underground express connection between O’Hare and downtown, using untested technology. Emanuel said Musk’s The Boring Company would pay for the $1 billion project. Envisioned are 16-person vehicles zipping to and from the airport in about 12 minutes, at a cost of about $20 to $25 a passenger.

Emanuel scoffed at “doubters” of the project, but the “doubters” include many of those looking to replace him.

“I just don’t think it’s a project that should be a priority for the city at this time,” said former Police Board President Lori Lightfoot, in an interview. “It’s not going to be cost-free for the taxpayers. That’s entirely a fiction.”

Lightfoot said there are always challenges when tunneling below streets and buildings. “What happens if some infrastructure gets compromised?” Lightfoot asked. “This is a big risk project — there’s no way there’s not going to be costs to the city.”

Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas agreed that it was hard to believe the project could be pulled off without any financial liability or infrastructure risk to the city.

“But if it can, I would be willing to hear more details,” said Vallas in an email. “Sadly, the City is currently acting in a super secretive fashion on this issue which only serves to further skepticism.”

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown said in an email that the city should delay the project until testing is complete, a realistic project plan is produced and The Boring Company provides a financial guarantee. Meanwhile, she said the city should go forward with plans to renovate and upgrade the Blue Line.

Former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said in an email that Musk’s high-speed tube trains are a “fantasy” and he doesn’t see a need for it. He said the CTA Blue Line should include reliable express service during peak hours.

Of the candidates surveyed, only millionaire businessman Willie Wilson was supportive of the Musk train, because it involved no taxpayer money, said campaign spokesman F. Scott Winslow.

The Red Line extension

The CTA is doing an environmental impact study on expanding the Red Line to the city’s southern border at 130th Street, a project expected to cost $2.3 billion. Funding has not yet been determined.

McCarthy said he supports the extension because it’s a “vital rapid transit option” and a catalyst for economic revitalization. McCarthy said that given the precarious nature of the city’s finances, he thinks it would be wise to seek federal money.

Brown thinks the extension should be funded through tax increment financing — which is already helping to fund the Red and Purple Line modernization on the North Side — as well as through grants from the state and/or the federal government. She said the extension is a matter of “fairness and equity.”

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune

CTA Red Line trains enter and exit the 95th Street station, the line's last stop on the South Side. An extension to 130th Street has been proposed.

CTA Red Line trains enter and exit the 95th Street station, the line's last stop on the South Side. An extension to 130th Street has been proposed. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Both Vallas and Lightfoot discussed the challenge of getting money for the extension and brought up a much-discussed cheaper alternative — the conversion of the Metra Electric District into a rapid-transit line with more frequent stops to serve the South Side and suburbs.

“I will insist that CTA and Metra put aside any turf battles and work on creating a viable plan to make this happen,” said Vallas.

Vallas said that given that roughly half of the money for the Red Line extension needs to come from the federal government, “it is unlikely that project can come to fruition any time soon.” The current presidential administration is not friendly to transit in general or Chicago in particular.

“There’s not an infinite pot of money out there,” said Lightfoot. She said if the extension can be built, the city needs to be smart and think about economic development for the region.

Speaking through his spokesman, Wilson said that while the Red Line extension is a “wonderful idea,” it is not as urgent as violence and jobs.

The airport expansion

Most candidates interviewed agreed on the need for the $8.7 billion O’Hare expansion, which the city said will be funded by airline ticket fees. The City Council has already approved $4 billion in funding for the eight-year project.

The outlier on the airport issue is Wilson, who said through his spokesman that he wanted a freeze on public borrowing for any large project, including the airport and the extension of the Riverwalk. He said Mayor Emanuel should not be committing the city to decades of debt in his last months in office.

Winslow said Wilson wants to take a close look at the details. “Who is going to get contracts for construction, for insurance?” Winslow asked. “That has to become a public process. That has to be completely transparent.”

Both McCarthy and Brown say they support O’Hare expansion, but think it needs close financial oversight to avoid cost overruns. McCarthy also said he wants to make sure the contracting process is “open and fair to all groups.”

Lightfoot said O’Hare is a “vitally important economic engine” for the city and the region. She said officials must be “thoughtful” about how the project gets done, and use it as a chance to build wealth among minority- and women-owned businesses.

Vallas said that while it is critical that the project go forward, there is much still not known and “any devils will likely be in the details.”

Both Lightfoot and Vallas also said it was important to pay attention to noise abatement in the communities affected by O’Hare traffic.

Bikes, buses and other issues

Wilson wants to get rid of red light and speed cameras, and provide free CTA service for the elderly. The latter idea was tried under Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but the program was costly for CTA, Metra and Pace, and it ended in 2011.

McCarthy wants transit services expanded for people with disabilities and wants to ensure that private transportation companies that provide services to the disabled do so with “care, courtesy, compassion and honest fares.”

Regarding bikes, Vallas said he was impressed with the success of Divvy and wants it or other bike-sharing programs to continue to expand, especially in underserved communities.

Brown wants a registration fee for bikes, to help pay for bike lane improvements.

Lightfoot said the city needs to do a better job dealing with traffic congestion.

“The Loop in particular is becoming a nightmare for commuters for people in cars, bikes or buses,” Lightfoot said. She cited an increase of cars on the street due to ride-share services, and multiple construction projects.

Citing reports in the Chicago Tribune and other media about the high numbers of traffic and parking tickets in black and Hispanic communities, Lightfoot said the city needs to do an audit to look at enforcement patterns.

“It’s pretty disturbing to me that these studies and media reports have reflected that people are going into bankrutpcy because of parking tickets,” Lightfoot said.

Vallas criticized the city for going “nowhere” in terms of establishing meaningful bus rapid transit, which typically gives buses dedicated lanes and priority at traffic lights to allow them to move more quickly through traffic.

“I believe reliable bus rapid transit on major arterial streets — especially those serving underserved communities and which are able to connect transit lines — are the most viable options for addressing traffic congestion,” Vallas said.

Transportation song quiz

The last quiz asked about a song that refers to a ship, but is really about an aircraft. The singer who made it famous later became U.S. ambassador to Ghana. The song is “On the Good Ship Lollipop,” sung by Shirley Temple. Skip Yates of Lakeview was first with the right answer.

Today’s song is told about a train that used to run through the Deep South. The songwriter also wrote the music for movies that included a coin bank as a character. What’s the song, and who sang it? Email me the answer. The first person with the right answer gets a Tribune notebook, and glory.